You know those first few days after you receive a brand new iPhone, when you're so careful with it, for fear of it breaking, that you barely want to touch it? Then, a few days later, you are throwing it to the bottom of you bag without a care in the world? We all do it, every single time.

However, while you don’t want to wrap it up in cotton wool, you must take steps to care for your phone in order to keep it in good condition and looking as good as new for as long as possible.

With Apple announcing the release of their cheapest smartphone yet, the iPhone SE, what better time to start taking care of your own mobile? A new phone enables you to care for it the right way from day one - that's not to say you shouldn’t be caring for an older phone, but you might want to consider how you will look after your iPhone before you rush out for your next upgrade.

So, how do you care for your iPhone?

Buy a case: if you do accidentally drop your phone, a protective case will take the hit rather than the phone itself. There are clear versions as well as hundreds of designs, so you are sure to find one that suits you and adds to the design. Cases come in all different shapes and sizes and with varying levels of protection – if you are prone to dropping your phone then you probably want to look for one that provides protection on all sides.

Use a screen protector: the screen is the most important part of your phone to protect. There are two ways you can do this; a ZAGG shield which protects all sides of the phone including the screen or combine a front-only screen protector with your case. You may want to consider changing this every couple of months.

Give it a clean each month: the best way to do this is by purchasing a microfiber cleaning cloth and a gadget-safe cleaning solution. Spray the cleaner on to the cloth and not straight on to the device. Just make sure you have turned the device off before you start cleaning it!

Don’t forget about the inside of the phone: in the event of losing your phone, what would you be more upset about? The phone itself? Or the irreplaceable contents that it contains? Probably the contents, because while you can get a new phone you can’t replace the photos that you lose. That is why you should perform a regular back-up.

What do you do if something goes wrong?

Firstly, don’t panic! And secondly, be careful. It is easy to get frustrated, but if this causes you to throw the phone at the wall, which results in the screen smashing, then you have a much bigger problem on your hands!

Next check out YouTube, where you will be able to find hundreds of step-by-step tutorials, which will walk you through the process, helping you to fix the problem yourself. If these require parts, then you can find most pieces online for DIY replacement, such as screens, internal and external speakers and batteries.

The issue could be far easier to fix than you first thought - a frozen screen, for example, can be fixed by simply holding down the power and home button at the same time until it restarts.

Meanwhile, for slightly more complicated issues, there are a few tried and tested ways that are known to work, such as putting a water damaged phone into a rice container or using toothpaste on a smaller scratches.

However, be aware that some issues that appear to be external only may have caused internal damage that you aren’t initially aware of.

What do you do if something goes really wrong?

Again, don’t panic! While you may have made every effort to keep your phone in good condition, accidents happen. Just pop into our London shop, where we can have most repairs done in just 30 minutes. Whether you have a smashed screen or a broken battery, our expert team will have your phone working and looking as good as new in no time!